It's Never Too Late
by charlie009d
Summary: After a tragic accident, an agent gets a second chance. But he must protect himself and the other agents from people from his past who want him dead.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, fanfiction readers! Okay, before you read the story, I gotta clear a few things up. First, I did not write this. The actual charlie009d wrote this, and I type and post it for her because she can't. So I'm just her humble typing monkey. And you can call me Typing Monkey...yes, thats pretty much my official title. Second, I kinda hate having to explain that at the beginning of every new story._

_Well, I hope you enjoy this new story. READ ON!_

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><p>Life is a gift few people appreciate. To most it is a burden. Get up, go to work, sleep, and repeat. No one truly learns to love it until they realize how fragile it is. It's strange how much the sick and dying know about life, because lessons are always learned in the end. When someone is taken away, suddenly their loved ones must learn those lessons. Life is a gift. And like all good gifts, it must someday come to an end.<p>

Tony DiNozzo was having a great day. He had wrapped up a case. He'd saved a kidnapped girl and returned her to her single Marine father. Although nothing had been said, Tony knew Gibbs was proud of him. He knew this because Gibbs had let him drive the car and he felt like a kid in a candy store.

They were going out to dinner to celebrate the closing of the case. Tony was in the driver's seat, Gibbs sat in the passenger's seat, and McGee and Ziva sat in the back. Ducky, Abby, and Palmer were driving in a different car behind them.

They were driving down a wooded road, their headlights giving them the ability to see fifteen feet ahead of them. It was a beautiful night. The stars were burning bright and a perfect crescent moon hung in the sky. It was a night they would all remember for the rest of their lives. They were playing 'Guess That Song' and Gibbs didn't seem to mind. In fact, he even joined in every once in a while.

"Oh, I know this one!" Ziva exclaimed as she listened to McGee's off-key singing. "It is 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey!"

"I'm glad you knew that one, Ziver," Gibbs said with a smile. "Because I sure didn't and McGee's singing was beginning to make my ears bleed."

McGee made an annoyed sound.

"You don't know Journey, boss?" Tony asked, astonished. "Everyone knows them!"

"How 'bout you try, boss?" McGee asked, getting his revenge.

"Fine, I will."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Tony said. "He will sing a song from the olden days that nobody knows."

Gibbs glared at him but they all knew it was a joking glare. The kidnapping of the Marine's young daughter had brought back bad memories for Gibbs, but after Tony found her he had been extremely happy. He deserved to let his stony façade drop for a few hours. He opened his mouth to sing, but before he could get the first couple of notes out, someone yelled:

"Deer!"

The car jerked violently towards the treeline. There was the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass. Then the world was gone for the agents.

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><p>Tony could smell the clean sterile smell of the room and he knew he was in a hospital before he even opened his eyes. He could sense someone sitting next to him. The next thing he became aware of was the killer headache attacking his brain. Tony's eyes fluttered open to see McGee sitting in a chair beside his bed, two crutches leaning against the wall. Tony could see a lime green cast plastered to his leg and he seemed to be nodding off.<p>

"If the deer okay?" Tony asked.

McGee's head snapped up and he smiled when he saw Tony awake. Tony looked up at the clock that hung on the wall. It read 2:30 AM. He'd been out for a good five hours. He gazed out onto the room and was surprised McGee was the only one there. His stomach dropped. Had they been seriously injured in the accident?

"Where is everybody?"

McGee thought for a moment. "Abby and Ducky are around here somewhere. Ziva went to get a glass of water and Gibbs is probably fighting with a nurse to give him his release papers."

Just at that moment, Ziva walked in. he one arm was being held up by a sling and she held a small paper cup filled to the brim in her other hand. When she saw Tony awake, she ran to him, spilling water everywhere. Ziva handed him the empty cup and lightly hugged him to show she was glad he was okay.

A doctor walked in followed by Director Vance. Tony could see Ducky hanging back in the doorway. The doctor introduced himself as Dr. Harper. He told Tony he had a concussion and wouldn't be allowed to go home unless someone stayed with him.

"So, Vance?" Tony asked with a smile. "Why are you here? Since when have you been so concerned with our health?"

"I'm here," Vance replied, not returning Tony's smile, "because I lost an agent today."

Tony's face fell. "Oh, God, was it someone we know?"

Ducky chose that moment to speak. His voice was feeble and weak. "It was Jethro. He died in the car accident."

All the agents froze. Had Ducky really just said that? Tony had felt as if a knife had been shoved into his chest. It couldn't be right. Gibbs couldn't be dead, because Gibbs was…well, he was Gibbs. A smile crossed Tony's face and he chuckled.

"Ha ha," he laughed. "No really, where's Gibbs?"

Tony heard a sniffle and he looked up to see Abby standing in the doorway. Her black mascara was running down her cheeks. At that moment, he knew it wasn't a joke. His head throbbed and he covered his face with his hands so no one would see him cry. The next thing he knew, Ziva's arm was around him and McGee's hand was resting on his shoulder. Tony grabbed Tim's arm, forcing him to join the hug. Abby crawled onto the bed and squeezed them all tight. When everyone let go, Tony was looking straight at Dr. Harper.

"I want to see him."

Everyone but Abby murmured their agreements. Abby couldn't stand the thought of seeing Gibbs dead. The doctor helped Tony into a wheelchair and led the three agents to the morgue. Dr. Harper stopped at the door, telling them all to wait where they were. After he went in and made Gibbs presentable, he ushered them in.

Only Gibbs's face was visible, a white sheet covering the rest of his body. White towels covered the top of his head and his neck, preventing the agents from seeing any of his injuries. All three of them had seen terrible things from their days at NCIS, but they were all secretly glad that the doctor stopped them from seeing Gibbs's wounds.

"This is all my fault," Tony muttered.

"No, Tony, it's not," McGee said.

"I was driving the car!" Tony screamed. "It's my fault! I killed him! I killed Gibbs!"

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><p>People say that when a person is about to die, their life flashes before their eyes. That's not what happened for Gibbs. He saw everything in slow motion, then he saw the greatest hits of his life.<p>

The headlights of the car made the young doe's eyes glow a yellow-green. Gibbs watched as Tony jerked the wheel to the left, sending them towards the word. When the car hit the first tree, McGee yelled in pain. Gibbs turned to look at him, but when he did so, the car hit another bump and the back of his head smashed against the window. But he felt no pain. He heard Ziva curse, but his attention was on Tony. His senior field agent hit his head off the steering wheel and blacked out. Gibbs thrust his arm out and supported Tony so he wouldn't break his neck when the airbags deployed. He never thought of himself. When the airbags activated, they hit him in the face, causing his head to snap back and his neck to break.

Darkness was all he knew. Out of the darkness came a picture, then the picture turned into a video. He saw himself leaving Stillwater to go to the Marine training camp. Gibbs saw himself marrying Shannon and seeing Kelly for the first time. He watched as he asked Mike Franks if he could join NIS. He saw himself welcoming Anthony DiNozzo, Caitlin Todd, Timothy McGee, and Ziva David onto his team. The last video that passed him by was of him saving Tony in the car accident.

There was a bright white flash. Then Gibbs was standing on thin air high above Washington, D.C. He felt warm little arms wrapped around his waist and he looked down to see Kelly. Gibbs dropped to his knees and hugged her. He only let go when he felt Shannon's fingers running through his hair. Gibbs stood up and pulled her close, kissing her deeply on the lips.

"I've missed you both," Gibbs murmured.

Gibbs looked into both of their faces to see they were crying. He kissed away their tears and tucked their hair behind their ears. Shannon wrapped her arms around Gibbs and sobbed into his shoulder. He patted her on the back and whispered comforting words to her.

"I love you very much, Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Shannon said. "But it wasn't your time to die. That death was meant for another."

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Daddy," Kelly said, reaching out to hold her father's hand. "Tony DiNozzo was meant to die. But by saving him, you took his place."

Gibbs felt tears prickling at the corner of his vision, but he refused to cry in front of his daughter. For the first time, he became aware that there was a bright white light standing off to the right of them. It seemed to radiate warmth and it made his skin tingle. Kelly led him by the hand toward it.

"Come on, Daddy, Gran will be happy to see you and Mike Franks needs someone to talk to. Ms. DiNozzo is very nice, she'll be happy you saved her son. And I can't wait to show you out house! It's huge! We even have a dog, I named him Spot," Kelly babbled.

"Kelly," Shannon scolded. "Your father has a choice, now let him make it."

"What kind of choice?" Gibbs asked.

"You may either continue on with us, or go back to spend a final week with your team," Shannon said. "Choose wisely because it is very rare something like this happens."

"After the week is over, I'll die again?"

"Your injuries will slowly return and you will die and come back here on the seventh day," Shannon confirmed.

Gibbs thought for a moment. The answer was simple. He'd spend one week with his team and then the rest of forever with Shannon and Kelly. He kneeled down and hugged his daughter tightly. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt.

"Don't go, Daddy, please don't go," Kelly plead.

Gibbs shivered. That situation felt all too familiar. He didn't want to leave his wife or daughter, but he had to tell his team goodbye. He had to make sure Tony was okay and didn't blame himself for Gibbs's death. He couldn't leave them alone without knowing they would be alright.

"I'll be back in a week, Kells, I promise."

"Okay, Daddy," she sniffled.

"There is one catch," Shannon said softly.

"Of course there is," Gibbs grumbled.

"It isn't fair to let one good person go."

"So The Big Guy has to let one bad person go?" Gibbs guessed.

"Actually," Shannon said, "you are worth four bad people. Paloma Reynosa, Sharif, Pedro Hernandez, and Ari Haswari will all be released and after you during this week. Do you still want to go?"

"Yep," Gibbs said. "And, Shan, I don't regret dying to save Tony."

Gibbs kissed Kelly on the top of her head and kissed Shannon passionately on the lips. He turned away, but was brought back to them when Kelly called for him, just to say Kate and Jenny said 'Hi'. And then he was falling. He fell through clouds, the roof of the hospital and then he slammed into his body.

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><p>Ziva bent over and planted a kiss on Gibbs's forehead. McGee squeezed his shoulder one last time, and Tony turned away disgusted. He was ready to go back to his hospital room and take a nap because nobody had offered to take him home. They were halfway out the door when they heard someone say:<p>

"You aren't just going to leave me here, are you?"

They all turned to see Gibbs sitting up on his gurney. The towels that had covered his neck and head fell away and he seemed unharmed. Dr. Harper muttered something along the line of "Impossible," then passed out. Gibbs stood up and everyone looked away because he was wearing only his birthday suit. His clothes were torn and bloody so he stole a pair of hospital scrubs.

No one questioned Gibbs's return to life. They all just assumed the doctor had been wrong. Gibbs had offered to take Tony home to stay with him until the concussion cleared up. They all had the okay to check out of the hospital. Gibbs hadn't even been listed as a patient because he had been dead. Ducky and Abby had been surprised when they saw Gibbs stroll in like nothing had happened. But they too did not question the miracle.

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><p>A black figure hid in some bushes and watched Gibbs and Tony enter Gibbs's house. After the coast was clear he slipped into the basement through a small window, and he waited. He was going to make sure Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't live to see the end of the week.<p>

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><p><em>So is anyone else completely convinced that Gibbs is immortal? I mean, seriously, he's epic and laser beams probably shoot out of his eyes. Yep, I've been watching way too much sci-fi recently. Anyway, I have to tell all of you that I'm a weirdo who sometimes has long, rambling authors note, and a nerd who will probably make multiple Star Trek references during the course of this story. But if you've read one of Charlie's stories before, you probably already know that.<em>

_Like this story? Hate it? Hit that frickin' adorable review button and tell me what you thought!_


	2. Hostage

_Okay, so I don't have too much to say right now. Other than that Gibbs will be a little OOC in this chapter._

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><p>Gibbs sat a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Tony, who was falling asleep at the table. Gibbs made himself a plate and the two ate in silence. Tony's eyes drooped shut and would have fallen off his chair if Gibbs hadn't caught him. He helped Tony to the couch where the agent fell asleep immediately.<p>

Gibbs made himself a cup of coffee and went into the casement to sand his half-finished boat. He felt sad knowing that it would never be finished. The clock on one of his shelves blinked 12:00 AM. It was the beginning of the first day. He heard a sound behind him and pretended not to notice as he inched towards the drawer where he kept his gun. But when he opened it, it was empty.

"Beat you to it, Gibbs," a smooth male voice said.

Gibbs turned around to see Ari Haswari pointing his own gun at him. Ari looked the same as he always had. He still had dark eyes, tanned skin, and short dark hair. Gibbs raised his hands over his head and waited. Ari pulled the trigger. If Gibbs had not moved at the last second, he would have been killed.

Gibbs lunged for a broken piece of wood to defend himself with, but Ari sent another bullet in his direction, narrowly missing him. They both turned when they heard the stairs creak. Tony froze halfway down the stairs with his gun drawn when he saw his boss fighting with a dead guy. Ari saw his hesitation as an opportunity. He grabbed Tony and pulled him down the remaining stairs. Tony's gun went flying across the floor when Ari forced a gun to his head.

"Let him go," Gibbs growled.

Tony was too dazed to say or do anything. His mind didn't process that he was being held hostage by Ari Haswari. Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs could see Tony's gun lying on the floor. He grabbed it and when he stood up straight, Ari had a arm around Tony's neck and the gun pointed at Gibbs's chest.

"I wouldn't even try if I were you," Ari warned.

"Let. Him. Go." Gibbs said through gritted teeth.

He chuckled. "I see my traitor sister isn't here to shoot me in the head and save you again."

Tony seemed to snap out of his daze. He drove his elbow into Ari's gut and twisted the gun out of his grip. Tony and Gibbs stood side by side, each of the pointing a gun at the enemy. Ari knew that battle had been lost, so he turned and ran, bullets just missing him. Tony lowered his gun.

"Boss," Tony stuttered, "that was Ari Haswari."

"No, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied sarcastically. "It was John Wayne."

Tony blinked a few times. "I always thought you killed Ari. Did Ziva really kill him?"

"Some things never leave this basement, Tony."

Tony nodded. "Gibbs, what exactly is going on?"

Gibbs debated on telling him or not. But after what had happened, he owed Tony an explanation. He told him everything; seeing Shannon and Kelly, his choice, Ari, Sharif, Pedro, and Paloma coming back. The only thing that he left out was that he was going to die at the end of the week and that it was supposed to be Tony who died.

"Boss," Tony said after several moments, "is there a leaky gas pipe in here or something?"

Gibbs smacked him across the back of the head. Tony still didn't believe him. He turned on Gibbs's small television. A lady with short blonde hair and bright red lips was frantically reporting a car crash, not even thinking about how early it was. A picture of a demolished car came on the screen. It took Tony a second to realize that it was their car. Tony touched the cut on his forehead from where his head had hit the wheel. In that moment, he believed Gibbs because his body didn't have a scratch on it.

"You really saw Shannon and Kelly?" Tony asked, stunned.

Gibbs nodded. "They said that your mother is very nice."

He went pale. "They know my mom?"

"I guess so."

Gibbs had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. He wanted to spend his last week spending time with his loves ones, but he didn't know how to express that. Eventually Tony went upstairs and crashed on the couch. Gibbs fell asleep under his boat. When he woke up, he had a dull headache, but he paid no mind to it. He could smell food cooking. He climbed the stairs to see Tony making bacon.

"Morning, boss. Hungry?" Tony asked.

Gibbs, being as stubborn as ever, poured himself a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats. Tony fixed himself a plate of bacon. All the while, he was chattering about some Adam Sandler movie called Anger Management.

"So it turns out the whole thing was a scam, and it was planned from the very beginning."

"Tony," Gibbs said.

He paid him no attention. "And then in the end, they all start to sing 'I Feel Pretty' from West Side Story."

"Tony!" Gibbs shouted.

"Yeah, boss?" Tony asked like he just noticed Gibbs was there.

"Do you want to go see a movie or something?" Gibbs muttered.

"What?"

"I said," Gibbs said, getting louder, "do you want to go see a movie?"

Tony was surprised. "Wow, boss, that trip to the Great Beyond really changed you. Do you know how to use a computer now too?"

"DiNozzo," Gibbs warned.

"There's really nothing good playing," Tony said. "The only thing playing is Breaking Dawn and that's romance/drama, and it involves sparkly, possibly gay vampires. Maybe we could go see it just to make fun of it."

"Sounds good," Gibbs grunted.

The two got in Gibbs's car and headed to the movies. They bought popcorn and large sodas. When they got into the theater, the movie had already started. Bella was walking down the aisle and she wasn't very happy looking. Tony said something rude about Bella to Gibbs and that other people in the theater gave him dirty looks. When Charlie came on the screen and said:

"I'm a cop, I know stuff."

Tony yelled:

"I'm a fed, I know more."

A chorus of "Shhh!" echoed through the theater. Throughout the entire movie, both Gibbs and Tony laughed louder than they should have and made inappropriate comments. When Jacob came on the screen and saw Bella was pregnant, he made a lunge for Edward. At the same time, Gibbs yelled, "Rip 'im up!"

Tony laughed so hard he choked on his popcorn. "Come on, boss! I'm Team Edward!"

Amazingly, they didn't get kicked out. Many people complained about their outbursts, but no one did anything about it. At the very end of the movie, as Bella lay dead/ became a vampire, Gibbs sat mesmerized. When her eyes snapped open, Gibbs groaned, "I had hoped she was dead."

Tony had tears streaming down him face from laughing so hard. As people were leaving, someone murmured something about the movie not being a comedy. People gave Tony and Gibbs dirty looks as they left. The two just smiled at them. When the got into the car, Gibbs's stony face returned.

"So how'd you like the movie?" Tony asked.

"It was the stupidest thing I've ever seen," he grunted.

"Well, there are three movies before it. Maybe we could go make fun of the new one when it comes out next year."

_I won't be around to see it, _Gibbs thought. Out loud, he said, "I don't want to see it if it's as stupid as this one."

Tony smiled. On the way home, he babbled about how Gibbs's basement looked like the basement from Little Shop of Horrors and about how Jimmy Palmer looked a little like the main character Seymour. Gibbs felt a pang of sadness when he realized that it was the last time he would spend time with Tony.

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><p><em>See? I said Gibbs would be totally out of character. But that kinda makes sense, since I guess he got all wonky in the head because he knows he's gonna die...or something like that. Oh, and thank you to the people who reviewed last chapter. I would send you a barbershop quartet of singing llamas that wear bowties and cool tophats, but I don't know where you would buy that...which is very unfortunate.<em>


	3. Double Jeopardy

_Okay, so I was going to update yesterday, but I wasn't at home all day. And other than that, I have nothing else to say at the moment. _

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><p>Tony was awakened from his sleep by the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood. He grabbed his gun and crept towards the door. The first rays of sunshine were coming through the windows. Tony examined the broken door, and with a surge of terror he realized whoever it was, they were going to the basement to get Gibbs. He ran through the dining room and into the kitchen to try and cut off the intruder. He stopped when he found a gun pointed at his chest.<p>

"Ziva?" Tony said. "You were the one who broke in?"

Ziva lowered her weapon. "Gibbs called me and told me to get here as soon as possible, and I panicked when the door was locked."

"So you broke the door down?"

"Why was it locked? It is never locked."

Tony's mind raced. He didn't want to tell Ziva that her dead brother had broken into the house and tried to kill them. He thought of an excuse which proved to be pretty lame and he was almost positive she didn't buy it.

"There was a minor break-in the other night, so Gibbs started locking the doors," Tony said nervously.

"Why did he not shoot the intoxicator?"

"Intruder," Tony corrected. "And shooting people is frowned upon in America, but it is also the reason we have jobs."

Ziva pushed past Tony and descended the basement steps. Gibbs was sanding his boat while listening to people on the radio talk about pointless stuff. He smiled when he saw Ziva coming down the stairs; that alone scared her. She shut off the radio and turned to face Gibbs.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

"Better than McGee's leg." Ziva hesitated. "Gibbs, are you okay? You seem different."

Gibbs's head throbbed. His headache has worsened, painkillers did nothing for it. He planted a smile on his face and told Ziva he was fine. He led her upstairs where Tony was pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Gibbs picked it up and dumped it in the sink.

"Pancakes or french toast? I suggest pancakes, Kelly always said I made them the best."

Ziva and Tony shared an uneasy look. It was rare Gibbs brought up Shannon and Kelly. Gibbs began making pancakes without an answer. Tony was confused. Why was Gibbs acting weird? Did dying mess with his head? Gibbs sat two large pancakes in front of his agents and took his chair. Only then did Tony notice that the corner of Gibbs's mouth was turned down like it was when he was in pain.

"Boss, are you sure you're okay?" Tony asked. "You're not looking so good."

"I'm fine, DiNozzo."

They fell into an awkward silence.

"Why did you invite me here?" Ziva blurted out.

Gibbs searched his brain for the right words. He didn't want to alert her that something was amiss. He didn't want to tell her the whole story. He didn't want Tony to know, but he did.

"Well, I have to make sure my aim is still good after the accident and I wanted to know if you would like to come along, if you can shoot with one arm."

Ziva smiled at his challenge, completely forgetting how strange he was acting. The shooting range didn't open for another fifteen minutes, so Ziva and Tony began talking about the movie Just Go With It. Gibbs listened, only half interested, his attention was grabbed by a car driving past his house for the third time. It was a small blue truck with black tinted windows.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, "are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he replied distractedly. "Tony, I need to talk to you for a minute."

Tony followed Gibbs out of the room, wondering what was going on. Gibbs's face was a little pale, but he didn't want to anger him by asking if he was okay again. He had an expression on his face that Tony had never seen before.

"Boss-"

"I'm almost positive that I saw Pedro Hernandez drive past the house."

Tony stood stock still. Pedro Hernandez? The man who killed Shannon and Kelly? Tony began to panic when he realized what that meant. He was there to kill Gibbs. And like Ari, he wouldn't be afraid to cut down anyone in his path to get to Gibbs. He and Ziva were also in danger.

"Tony, I need you to follow Ziva and me to make sure she doesn't see anything. I don't want her to know."

"On it, boss."

Tony grabbed his coat and started for the back door. As he was turning the knob, he felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder. He looked back to see Gibbs standing behind him with the same weird expression on his face. It was then Tony realized what the look meant. Gibbs wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to put it.

"Call me if you see him and don't do anything stupid," Gibbs said.

Translation: "I don't want you getting hurt in the place of me. Be careful, Tony."

Tony, getting the message, smiled. "You got it, boss."

Gibbs watched him go, then went back into the living room where Ziva was watching Tony back out of the driveway. She blushed when she knew she was caught.

"You shouldn't let him drive with his concussion," she murmured.

"You shouldn't drive with a broken arm," Gibbs replied with a smirk.

She grumbled something about being a good driver and threw Gibbs her car keys. The ride was quiet. Out of the corner of his eyes, Gibbs saw a blue truck trailing them, so he jerked the wheel left and went down a narrow alley.

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><p>The shooting range was almost full. All the normal targets had been taken up, so the manager had to bring out human-shaped targets like they used at NCIS. Ziva shot through the eye just to prove she could shoot with one arm. Gibbs gave it a double tap to the heart. Ziva took aim at what Gibbs guessed was the other eye, but the shot landed really low.<p>

"David, what was that? You weren't even-"

"I was aiming at his-"

"Oh," Gibbs said, blushing slightly. "Well, good shot then."

Gibbs's cell phone rang and he excused himself. A panicked Tony was on the other end reporting that he had lost Pedro. Just then, a series of bullets came flying his way. Gibbs hit the ground and looked up to see someone run off. He calmly walked back to Ziva and told her they had to leave.

"Good," she said. "I was getting hungry anyway. I know a great French restaurant."

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><p>The waiter didn't speak any English and Gibbs didn't speak any French, so Ziva had to translate. They sat at a nice table. Ziva ordered steak for Gibbs since he couldn't read the menu. Before the drinks came, Gibbs's phone rang and he answered it without thinking.<p>

"Gibbs," he answered.

"Boss, I need you help," came Tony's voice. "Pedro is parked about a block away, I think we can take him down."

Gibbs hung up and told Ziva he had to use the restroom. She was suspicious, that much was certain. But he didn't want her to get involved, and sometimes ignorance is bliss. He walked out of the restaurant and took a short cut through a small alley.

Bad decision.

The blue truck came speeding towards him, and he knew he could never outrun it. Gibbs pulled out his gun and fired at the truck. It screeched to a stop and he heard a loud scream. Paloma Reynosa exited the car with a gun pointed at his face.

"You killed my father again!" she screamed. "Now I'm going to kill you!"

A gun shot went off and time seemed to freeze, like someone had pressed the pause button on a DVD remote. Then Paloma burst into dust and fluttered to the ground, to reveal Tony standing behind where she had been. Both Tony and Gibbs lowered their weapons and moved to the truck where they found a pile of dust that they believed to be Pedro.

Gibbs went back to the restaurant to finish lunch with Ziva, and Tony stayed to make sure no one else came around.

Both of their guts were acting up for some reason.

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><p><em>Yeah, Gibbs will be kinda OOC at times during this story. I hope you don't mind. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful reviews...I don't feel like I do that enough. And I'll probably do that at least two more times throughout the story. <em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for not updating sooner. Ummm...I don't have much else to say other than that the timeline is screwed up in this chapter. You'll see what I mean when you read it._

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><p><em>*Dream*<em>

Anthony DiNozzo Jr. sat on his swing set and watched his father drive away in an expensive car, probably to pick up some hot blonde. Tony's eyes looked to the large house that had served as his home the nine years of his life. Dad was never home, and when he was, he never noticed Tony. The house was lonely, so Tony chose to spend his time outside surrounded by living thing. That often comforted him.

Not even the outdoors comforted Tony that warm summer day. Dad had accidentally hit Teli, his Australian Shepard, with the car the previous night when he had come home drunk. Teli had been Tony's only friend. She was the last gift his mother had given him before she died. Teli had stayed up all night with him when he received the news and she had licked away every one of his salty tears.

It wasn't fair. He was just beginning to get over the death of his mother, and then Teli was taken from him. It wasn't fair! And it was all Dad's fault. Tony stood up and found himself to be an adult. He was still in his backyard, but now he was looking at his younger self quietly crying on his swing set.

Suddenly, it was very cold. The sun was still shining, but no warmth reached Tony. The world seemed to go black and white, but he was the only thing in color. Strange sounds met his ears, sounds that vibrated every bone in his body, sounds that made him sick to his stomach.

Then the sounds were replaced with a light humming noise that made Tony feel like he was floating. The world was still cold, but Tony sensed warmth behind him. He turned to see a beautiful woman with hypnotizing green eyes smiling at him. She was a few inches shorter than him and had wavy brown hair. She was dressed all in white, which brought more attention to her green eyes. She seemed to glow with a golden aura. Her name?

Amaryllis DiNozzo.

"Mom," Tony breathed. "I-I-"

"Tony," Amaryllis said gently. "Whatever you are going to say, please get on with it because I am not supposed to be here."

"I'm older than you," Tony muttered.

She laughed softly. "That is one advantage to being dead, you never age." Her face suddenly turned grave. "I have some things that have to be done."

"Like what?" he asked.

Tony noticed for the first time that his younger self was looking in their general direction as if he could see them. His tears had ceased to flow and he was playing with Teli's tennis ball. Color seeped back into the world and Tony could see that Anthony's eyes were red from crying. The poor kid screamed when someone called his name.

"Tony!" Billy, the neighbor kid, yelled as he came running into the yard.

"My name is Anthony," he grumbled.

"Well, I like Tony better," Billy said. "Anyways, we're playing Cops and Robbers at my house. Me, Jane, Terra, Lee, Kat, and Roy are the robbers, and Wendy and Kevin are the cops. But we can't play unless we get another cop. Will you please be a cop, Tony?"

"I don't know," young Tony said slowly.

"Pretty please with bowtie-wearing, showtune-singing llamas on top!" Billy begged. "Come on. Wendy has the biggest crush on you."

"I guess I'll play," he said reluctantly.

Tony watched his childhood memory play out with a smile on his face. After many years of playing Cops and Robbers with that group of kids, he had decided to be a real cop. Tony turned to face his mother and found that she looked weary.

"At this exact moment in time, many important things are happening," Amaryllis said softly. "I need to show you a few of those things."

The world around Tony blurred. He felt as if he was being sucked into a jet engine. Pictures that didn't make sense flashed before his eyes. The only thing his mind could hold onto was his mother's face. And then it stopped.

In front of Tony, a young boy with dull green eyes and short brown hair was walking down the sidewalk. His arms were full of books and papers. Two boys a little bigger than him ran up and booked him. He just bent down and picked them up without complaint.

"Hey, Timmy McRetard," one of the boys taunted, "Where are you going?"

"Home," young Tim McGee said simply.

"Is it true your mom's gonna have a baby?"

"Yes," Tim said, trying to get away.

"You know, your parents won't love you once the new baby comes."

"That's not true."

The first boy snatched away one of Tim's books and flipped through it. He chuckled threw it into a mud puddle. "Steve Jobs? The guy who invented that computer thingy? Those piles of junk will never catch on."

"Steve Jobs is brilliant," Tim dared.

* * *

><p>A boy and a girl kneeled down beside a dead cat. They boy had blonde hair and blue eyes, and the girl had black hair that was tied back in pig tails.<p>

"I know that's Abby, but who's the boy?" Tony asked his mother.

"That is Luca, her brother," Amaryllis said. "This is the reason Abigail became interested in forensics; her cat was fed rat poison."

* * *

><p>Tony knew immediately that the two children sitting in front of him were Ziva David and Ari Haswari. Both had tears streaming down their faces. Eli David sat at his desk. Even though they were not speaking English, Tony could somehow understand them.<p>

"What you have heard is true," Eli began. "Your sister is dead."

Ziva wailed and cried into Ari's shoulder. He rubbed her back in soothing circles, trying not to break down himself. Eli looked indifferent to the fact that his daughter had just been killed.

"Ziva, go practice your English."

"But Father-" Ziva sobbed.

"Now," he growled.

"Go, sister," Ari said in English. "I will be along."

Ziva hesitated but did as her brother said. Ari faced his father with a grim expression on his face. It took Eli several minutes to realize Ari had not left with Ziva. He peered at his son over his papers and waited for him to speak.

"What do you want?" Eli grumbled."

"I hate you," Ari said.

Eli shrugged. "Words are words, and words such as yours only come from the mouths of the ignorant."

"Maybe," Ari shot back. "I wouldn't be so unknowing if you would step up as a father and teach me."

"Not now, Ari, I am making funeral arrangements."

"I will fight you to the ends of this earth," Ari said through gritted teeth. "I will make sure Ziva does the same."

* * *

><p>"This is the last one," Amaryllis said softly.<p>

Tony found himself sitting in the back of a truck with a bunch of Marines who were on their way home. He sat beside a Marine with light brown hair and sapphires for eyes. The truck jerked to a stop and the man stood up to leave.

"Are you scared, Gibbs?" one of the men asked.

Gibbs smiled. "War does not frighten me; however, being a dad shakes me to the very core."

Tony followed Gibbs out of the truck. He could see Shannon sitting on the front steps of their home holding a bundle in her arms. She stood up and kissed Gibbs deeply. The men in the back of the truck hooted and howled as they drove away. Shannon handed the bundle to Gibbs and a large smile graced his face.

"Kelly," he whispered.

Tony turned to face his mother. "Why are you showing me this?"

"He cares about you and the others as if you are all his own children," Amaryllis said, not taking her eyes off Kelly.

Tony fell silent. He liked to think of Gibbs as a father figure, he was more of a dad to him than his real dad was. Tony shivered when he remember how close they had come to losing Gibbs.

"Anthony," his mother said, casting her eyes upon him. "Right now at this very moment, you are supposed to be dead. You were supposed to die in the car accident."

"But Gibbs died,"

Amaryllis nodded. "He saved you, losing his own life in the process."

"How did he come back?"

"He only has-" Amaryllis stopped and a strange look passed over her face. "Something is wrong."

_*End of Dream*_

Tony woke up as a hand clamped over his mouth. He was in his car parked in front of McGee's apartment building. Gibbs had chosen to spend his third day with Tim, learning how to text and use e-mail.

He struggled against his attacker who held him from behind. He twisted his body to get a glimpse of blond hair. Suddenly, his door was ripped open and he was pulled out of the car. There were two attackers. Tony was shocked to find them to be Ari and Sharif.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Timothy McGee are dead," Ari said as he kicked Tony. "You should have been a better guard dog."

* * *

><p>"Muh-Gee!"<p>

"Boss! No, please don't shoot!"

"What in the world does LOL mean?"

"Laugh out loud."

"McGee, this is no laughing matter!"

McGee couldn't tell if Gibbs was being serious or if he was joking. He picked up his cell phone and texted Gibbs a message saying, 'I C U'. After a few moments, Gibbs's phone vibrated and he read the message.

"Who's in the ICU?" Gibbs exploded.

"No, I C U means-" Tim tried to explain.

"I know what it means! It means Intensive Care Unit!" Gibbs grumbled. "I need some bourbon."

"I don't have any," McGee said cautiously.

"I have some in my car."

Gibbs left the apartment and took the elevator to the ground floor. In between floors one and two, his gut twisted painfully. He walked to the car to find it empty. He pulled out his phone and texted McGee, thinking Tony might have gone to the apartment.

Where's Toe-Knee?

_IDK_

What does that mean?

_i don't know_

Don't tell me u don't know! Ur the 1 who sent me the message!

_Nvm_

What does that mean?

_Never mind_

Gibbs snapped his cell phone shut with a huff. He had more important things to worry about then decoding McGee's messages.

Tony was gone.


	5. Final Warning

Gibbs found a note tucked behind one of the windshield wipers of the car. It stated that Ari and Sharif had kidnapped Tony. It also said that if he didn't meet them at the docks, Tony would be chopped up and sent to Gibbs in a shoe box.

Gibbs swore under his breath and looked up at the setting sun; his third day was almost over. Already the air had taken on the chill of night, but in a way it seemed different, almost grief stricken. As if the night felt sorrow for the shortness of Gibbs's life.

* * *

><p>Tony couldn't stop looking at the blood stains on the hard concrete floor. He couldn't help but think he was the one who put them there. He was in the same houseboat that Maddie Tyler had been held for ransom in. the blood stains were those of the men he had killed to save Gibbs and Maddie.<p>

Tony's attention was brought back to the present when Sharif punched him in the gut. He lashed out with his feet because his hands were tied to the chair he was sitting in. Sharif gave him a demented smile and Tony began swearing at him for killing McGee and Gibbs.

"You didn't like the computer geek anyway," Ari commented. "And Daddy Gibbs was going to die eventually."

Tony felt consciousness leave him when Ari pinched his neck.

Sharif doused the lights and shivered as the cold night air met him. Moonlight washed over the three men as they waited for Leroy Jethro Gibbs to arrive. The only sound that greeted their ears was the sound of water lapping up against the docks. Then they heard it.

A car.

The door opened and closed, the engine was left running. Ari smiled to himself. Gibbs was determined to make it out alive. After a few minutes, Gibbs appeared in the doors of the houseboat. Sharif took his gun and forced him into a chair similar to Tony's.

"It's the end of the third day and beginning of the fourth," Ari said, looking at his watch. "Too bad you won't live to see the fifth."

"Let him go," Gibbs said, gesturing to Tony.

Sharif unbound him and let Tony's unconscious body slide to the floor. "He is free to leave if he wishes."

With that, Ari and Sharif left. It took Gibbs only a second to locate a bomb that was ticking down. Gibbs's knife was in the front of his belt and his hands were behind his back.

Eight minutes on the clock.

Gibbs looked at Tony lying on the floor, willing him to wake up. But he didn't. He began squirming around, trying to nudge the knife out of its spot.

It worked, but it clattered to the floor.

Seven, six, five…

Gibbs tipped his chair over and searched for his knife. When he found it, he gripped it too hard and cut the palm of his hand. The blood made it hard to hold onto the knife, but he managed to but the ropes binding his hands.

Four, three, two…

Gibbs quickly untied his ankles and rushed to Tony. He hoisted him onto his back and ran towards the water. It was their only escape route. Gibbs threw Tony into the dark water and was about to dive in after him when the houseboat blew up behind him. He was propelled out over the water, but he passed out before he could even make a splash.

* * *

><p>Gibbs woke up to a killer headache. He felt the top of his head and found it to be wet with blood and water. He took a look around to find he was in a cheap motel room with two twin beds and a small bathroom. Gibbs sat up with a groan and tried to walk to a tiny window, but his feet fell out from under him. His ears picked up the faint sound of the lock to the door turning. He crawled back to the bed and crouched down.<p>

"Boss?" a hoarse voice called.

Tony.

Gibbs slowly stood up and examined his senior field agent. Tony had an ugly purple bruise near his left temple, but other than that he looked okay. He was juggling a box of a dozen donuts, a Mountain Dew, and a cup of coffee. Tony sat everything down and checked the gash on Gibbs's head.

"So, boss, why didn't you tell me?" Tony asked.

"Tell you what?"

"That you are Clark Kent," he said with a lopsided grin. "I always had my suspicions that you were Superman, but when I surface and saw you flying, I knew for sure."

Gibbs shoved a donut in his mouth and ignored Tony's last comment. He began to piece everything together in his mind. The shock of the cold water must have woken up Tony and then he had saved Gibbs. But he couldn't figure out if the wound on his head was from the explosion or if it was coming back from the car accident. He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Gibbs,"

"Gibbs!" Abby squealed. "NCIS is so boring without you! When are you coming back?"

"Soon," Gibbs lied. "When all of our injuries are healed."

"You have no clue how scared I was after the accident! I thought you were dead!"

"So did I," Gibbs muttered. "Whatcha need, Abs?"

"I need help!" Abby exclaimed. "I'm getting a new tattoo. Usually McGee helps me pick it out but it's too hard for him to get around with his broken leg. So will you come? Please, please, please, please?"

"Alright, Abs."

"Yay!"

* * *

><p>An hour later Gibbs was standing in a tattoo parlor, watching Abby get a tattoo of Bert the Hippo on her hip. The woman doing the tattoo chatted with Abby, it was obvious they were close friends. Gibbs was wearing a ballcap to cover the gash in his head and he kept hiss hands in his pockets to hide the cut on his hand.<p>

"Brenna! You're an art-teest!" Abby exclaimed. "Gibbs, you need a tat!"

"I'll pass."

"Come on!"

"How about a Caf-Pow?"

Gibbs felt a pang of sadness when he realized that he would never buy Abby another Caf-Pow.

Life is too short.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so I just wanna say that I have the entire story typed as of about ten minutes ago. So I will try to update every day from now on.<em>


	6. Oblivious

Gibbs woke up to find his neck was locked up. He rolled off his couch and made his way into the kitchen where he swallowed a couple of aspirin. He needed to make sure he was tip-top or Ducky would know something was wrong when they played golf later.

Tony had sucked it up and slept in the guest bedroom. He was still shaken up from being kidnapped. Gibbs decided to give him the day off as he marched up the steps. He went in to the bathroom and began to run a warm shower. As he got undressed, Gibbs noticed he had bruises everywhere, his head throbbed and his body ached. He knew his end was coming.

Gibbs sighed in pleasure as the warm water soaked his skin, soothing his wounds. He stood still in the shower, enjoying the steam that bounced around the room. Gibbs heard Tony exit the guest bedroom and stumble down the stairs. He frowned. Gibbs felt bad for not being entirely truthful to Tony. He worried that Tony would find his body when he died.

Gibbs stepped out of the shower. He threw his clothes on without bothering to dry and ran down to the kitchen. Tony sat at the table snoozing away with his face buried in a bowl of half eaten Wheaties. Gibbs slapped him across the back of the head and he immediately straightened up.

"On it, boss!"

Tony looked around and when he noticed he wasn't in the office, he laid his back in the cereal and tried to fall asleep. Gibbs crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"DiNozzo!"

"On it, boss!"

Tony sat up and was aware that he was in Gibbs's kitchen. He reached his hand up to his head and felt mushy Wheaties in his hair. Tony made a disgusted face and began to pick the cereal out of his hair.

"You should get Fruit Loops," Tony said with a yawn.

"You can go buy some after you take a shower."

"Aren't I going to stalk you and Ducky today?" Tony asked, not yet fully awake.

"No, not today," Gibbs said. "I don't think Ari or Sharif will make a move."

Tony grumbled something about already being dressed nice, even though all he was wearing was a pair of Spongebob boxers and a Green Day T-shirt. Gibbs watched him trudge up the stairs, then turned to make himself breakfast. He laughed when he heard Tony scream when he stepped into the shower and learned that Gibbs used all the hot water.

Someone knocked on the door and Gibbs found it Ducky. He ushered him in and they ate a quiet breakfast, making only small talk. As they climbed into the car, Ducky noticed a bruise on Gibbs's neck.

"Jethro, how on God's green earth did you manage to hurt you neck?"

Gibbs pulled the collar of his shirt. "Had an accident building the boat. If Tony hadn't been there, I'd be dead."

"Jethro, you need to be more careful," Ducky warned. "We already lost you once this week."

"Ah, Duck, you won't lose me."

Gibbs hated how easily he could lie to Ducky. They rode in silence until Ducky found something to ramble on about. Gibbs only spoke when necessary for he feared he would spill everything out. It was strange that he suddenly had the urge to tell people about his problems.

Gibbs pulled into a stop light a couple miles from the golf course. He noticed a small figure seated on a motorcycle taunting him by revving its motor. Gibbs paid the driver no attention until he saw the small gun with a silencer. Then he floored it.

"Red means stop, green means go," Ducky informed him.

"I know, I just don't want to be late."

"Late for what?"

"My date with destiny," Gibbs grumbled too quietly for Ducky to hear.

Gibbs turned down a dirt road to try to throw off the motorcyclist, but it did nothing to stop him from following them. He pressed his foot down a little harder on the gas pedal and they shot forward. In that second, Gibbs knew that man was Ari Haswari.

Ducky just kept on talking, oblivious to the fact that they were in a high speed chase. Gibbs watched in terror as Ari raised his fun and began to shoot. All but one of the bullets missed the car. The one that hit took out the passenger side mirror.

"A stone must have hit your mirror," Ducky murmured, turning around and seeing Ari. "It looks like that young man wants you to pull over."

"I'm sure he'd love that," Gibbs commented dryly.

"He may be a police officer."

"I'm a fed," Gibbs said. "Fed beats police."

Accepting that fact, Ducky began to ramble again. Gibbs broke off the dirt road and onto a paved one. Luckily, a large truck had pulled out behind him and cut off Ari.

That had been close.


	7. Goodbye

_Yeah, I know I said I was gonna update every day from now on, but I forgot. Sorry. And I know my author's notes lately have either been really short or nonexistent, I just got too lazy to type them. Anyway, on with the story!_

* * *

><p>Gibbs didn't know what had caused him to drive to the NCIS building. But nevertheless, he was there. Gibbs memorized every inch of the elevator as it carried him up to the offices. When he stepped out, it was as if he was seeing the bright orange paint for the first time. He counted each step as he made his way to MTAC.<p>

He sat down in his favorite seat and let all the memories in the room come back to him. He sat there for about an hour until someone worked up the nerve to tell him to get out.

Gibbs took the stairs to Abby's lab and she squealed and hugged him. She bounced around, but Gibbs didn't hear a word she said. He was too busy taking everything to memory. The way her pigtails flopped as she laughed, the sounds her machines made, the music that was played.

Gibbs said his goodbyes to her and made his way to autopsy. He couldn't explain it. His body just led him there. When he arrived, Jimmy Palmer was putting away a body. Gibbs tried not to look at the autopsy tables for he knew he would be lying on one of them in less than twenty-four hours. Jimmy turned and saw Gibbs standing there in a trancelike state.

"Agent Gibbs," Jimmy said. "What's wrong with you?"

Gibbs was thrown back by his greeting. "Why would you assume something is wrong?"

"A person gets a certain look in their eyes when their time is numbered."

And with that, Gibbs told Jimmy everything, not leaving out anything. Jimmy just nodded and listened. When it was all over, Gibbs expected him to call someone to drag him off the loony bin, but he said nothing.

"You believe me?"

"Yes." Jimmy nodded.

"Why?"

"The same thing happened to my brother Ian," he said, sighing. "I was riding my tricycle in the street, he told me not to, but I didn't listen. Then a big SUV came thundering down the road and…and he pushed me out of the way."

Gibbs placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good kid, Jim, don't let Tony or anyone else get you down."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Gibbs left to send out an e-mail to tell everyone to be at his house the next night for dinner.

Time was almost up.

* * *

><p><em>Yay for Jimmy Palmer! I love Jimmy, as I have stated in previous stories. I think he's awesome and there should be more Jimmy centric episodes. But that's just my opinion. <em>

_Okay, so I will try to post chapter 8 tomorrow, if I get time...or if I'm not too lazy._


	8. Goodbye's Not Forever

_Yeah, I know I didn't update yesterday. Partially because I didn't have time, and partially because, like I've stated before, I'm lazy. On with the story!_

* * *

><p>Gibbs woke up to the sound of his door bell ringing. For a moment, he forgot that he started locking his door. The first thing he became aware of was how tired he was, which was strange because he had slept through most of the day and made Tony cook the meal.<p>

Gibbs rolled off of the couch and answered the door to find it to be Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky. The three had carpooled after work. Abby had brought her own Caf-Pow and Ducky brought homemade rolls.

"Now we just have to wait for Ziva and McGee," Gibbs said with a warm smile.

Just at that moment, the two walked in, neither of them too happy. Ziva was grumbling something about being pulled over and McGee was shaking in his cast from Ziva's driving.

"If you want to eat," Tony yelled from the kitchen, "ya'll best set the table."

Everyone scrambled to the kitchen and grabbed silverware and plates and sloppily se the table. Ducky went around fixing every little detail. Gibbs picked up pots of food, which looked like a high school science fair project, and began to scoop it onto plates.

"Ummm…I should probably mention," Tony said nervously, "I lost my watch while cooking."

They all laughed, thinking he was joking, but when they sat down for dinner, Ziva found the watch in what was believed to be mashed potatoes. To make matters worse, she told Tony that she would marry him because she thought it'd be funny to act out the commercial where a lady finds a wedding ring in her green beans.

They were all laughing when it happened. Gibbs felt a sharp pain in his neck and he slumped to the floor, his breaths coming out in short quick gasps. He couldn't move, his body refused to obey. Tony's panicked face suddenly came in to his line of vision.

"Ducky! I think he's having a heart attack!"

Ducky's face came into view. "Jethro, are you having any pressure on your chest?"

"N-No," Gibbs managed to choke out.

Far off, as if from another world, Gibbs could hear Ziva frantically calling 911. A spasm of pain rocked his body and he heard Abby begin to cry and McGee whisper comforting words to her. Jimmy sat down by Gibbs's head and quietly told him he would explain to everyone what happened. Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Ziva reenter the room. He summoned the last of his strength to pass on one final message.

"Goodbye…is not forever."

"Unless, of course, you go to Hell," Tony said, fighting back tears.

"See…you there…DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a wry smile.

Time seemed to slow down as Gibbs's chest stilled and his eyes glazed over. Ziva gently closed his eyes and began to cry into Tony's shoulder.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was gone.

* * *

><p>Gibbs found himself standing high above Washington, D.C., once again. There was no one there to greet him. The warm white light was beckoning to him, but before he had a chance to enter it, he felt a presence behind him. Gibbs turned to see Mike Franks smoking a cigarette.<p>

"What do you know about ghosts, Probie?"

Mike's question confused Gibbs. "Ghosts supposedly happen when a newly deceased person has unfinished business."

"Very good," he said. "Well, we have quite a problem."

"What's that?"

Long arms slipped around Gibbs and he found they belonged to Shannon. He kissed her passionately and she kissed him back, but something was amiss. At closer inspection, he could see she was crying.

"You need to go back," she whispered.

"What, why?"

"To rid the world of Ari and Sharif," she said with a smile. "If you can do that in twenty-four hours, you can have your life back."

"What about you and Kelly?" he asked.

"We've waited this long, we can wait another few decades."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Decades?"

Mike Franks chose that moment to speak up. "Probie, you need to go back."

Gibbs nodded. He didn't want to leave his wife and daughter, but he knew Ari and Sharif needed to be dealt with. He kissed Shannon's forehead and clapped Mike on the back. In a way he was happy that he had the chance to go back. He didn't like the way he left his team, but then again, dying was never easy.

"Jethro," Shannon called. "If you don't finish this task, then your life will be gone forever."

"I know, Shan. I love you."

"I love you too."

And then he was falling back to earth.

* * *

><p><em>Ya know how I said last chapter how I love Jimmy Palmer? Well, I also love Mike Franks. He's awesome, and I pretty much cried when he died last season, even though I knew he was going to die soon anyway. And then I almost cried when I found out that Gibbs built his coffin. I mean, seriously, how frickin' depressing is that?<em>

_Anyway, two more chapters left to post. I will try to post chapter 9 tomorrow. Although I may get distracted by a shiny object and totally forget._


	9. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I didn't update yesterday. Sorry. I got distracted by Star Trek and Legend of Zelda. And I almost forgot to update today...I was seriously half asleep when I remembered I didn't update. So now I'm updating, even though I'm really tired. I don't even know how I'm managing to ramble on randomly while being pretty much half asleep. Anyway, on with the story._

* * *

><p>Tony rubbed Ziva's back as she cried into his shoulder. The paramedics had just told them that there was nothing they could do for Gibbs. McGee was desperately trying to pry Abby off of Gibbs's body long enough for the medical workers to load him onto a gurney.<p>

Ducky stumbled over to Tony with a look on his face the younger man had never seen before. Tony placed his lips beside Ziva's ear and whispered something. She nodded and reluctantly moved away from him and towards McGee to help with Abby.

"Anthony, you have been staying with Jethro for the last week," Ducky said. "Has he been sick, or had any unusual behavior?"

"No," Tony stuttered. "Not at all."

"Well, people just don't drop dead!"

"Doctor," Jimmy Palmer said carefully. "Agent Gibbs is with his wife and daughter now."

"But that doesn't help the fact that Anthony looked the other way as his health failed!"

All three of them turned when they heard Abby scream the medics had managed to load Gibbs's body onto a stretcher, but then the strangest thing happened. He opened his eyes. Abby let out a shriek and hugged him tight.

"Gibbs! I knew you weren't dead!"

Tony was at his side in a second. "Boss, is this gonna be a normal thing with you?"

"No," Gibbs said. "I'm here to stay."

The paramedics all tried to get him to lie back down, but they all backed off when they received the Gibbs glare. Gibbs stumbled into the kitchen and when he came out, he had a gun in his hand. He raised it and threatened to shoot everyone if the paramedics didn't leave.

"What was that for?" McGee asked as he watched the paramedics scramble for the door."

"Well, if I wouldn't have done that, then they would've taken me to the hospital."

"Jethro," Ducky said. "Maybe you should go to the hospital."

"No, Ducky, I just need to be alone," Gibbs said. "Please, everyone get out, except for DiNozzo and Palmer."

Everyone awkwardly shuffled out the door, giving Gibbs strange looks. Both Jimmy and Tony began to eye each other. Then it dawned on them that they both knew Gibbs's secret.

"How much does he know?" they asked in unison, pointing at each other.

"Tony doesn't know the whole story," Gibbs said.

"Wait," Tony said, feeling offended. "You told the autopsy gremlin more than you told me?"

Gibbs rolled hid eyes and told Tony the rest of the story, adding in about his extended twenty-four hours.

"So if you find Ari and Sharif within the next day, you can have your life back?" Jimmy inquired.

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>Over the next few hours, the three searched for Ari and Sharif. In the end, they found Sharif the same way they had before: through his PSP. Gibbs climbed out of his car and faced a ratty apartment building. He glanced at the car Jimmy and Tony were in and signaled for Tony to get out.<p>

Tony slowly loaded his gun and stepped out of the car. He followed Gibbs into the building and they asked the night manager to point them to Sharif's room. The young woman was so scared that she spilled her Pepsi when trying to show them.

Gibbs kicked in the door and Tony rushed in. Tony caught sight of Sharif lunging for him weapon so he immediately opened fire. A bullet lodged itself into Sharif's leg and he cried out. Forgetting about his weapon, he held his injured leg. Gibbs marched in and put the gun to Sharif's head.

"Where is Ari?"

"Please! Just kill me already! I want to be with my family!" Sharif shrieked.

"Tell me where Ari is," Gibbs said through gritted teeth. "And then I'll kill you."

"He knew you were coming to kill him!" he squealed. "He's going to fly out of the country before you can get him!"

Gibbs pulled the trigger and the bullet went through Sharif's skull, but he turned to dust and fluttered to the ground before the bullet exited his head.

Gibbs practically dragged Tony out of the building and threw him in the car with Jimmy. Gibbs ordered them to drive ahead and park down the road from the airport.

* * *

><p>Gibbs sat alone in his car, gazing out into the night. He nervously checked his watch. He only had five minutes to live. Maybe Sharif had given him false information, but he had seemed sincere. Gibbs could feel his energy slipping away from him. And then it happened. A car came speeding past. Gibbs knew it was Ari.<p>

He just knew it.

Gibbs pulled out and began chasing him. Through his rear view mirror he could see Tony and Jimmy pull out of their spot and did the same. Gibbs became aware of a white light creeping up into his vision. It was death coming for him.

He again checked his watch. One minute. Gibbs had to finish it right then. Not only to save his life, but to save Tony and Jimmy's as well. If he were to die at the wheel, then they would most likely crash into him.

Just as the white light blinded him, Gibbs pressed down on the gas. Shooting forward, he crashed into the driver's side of Ari's car.

And then there was nothing.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, I'm honestly too tired to think of something witty to about the chapter right now. So I'm gonna shut up and go to sleep. And I'm gonna try to post the last chapter tomorrow. But that might not happen, considering that tomorrow's Friday and I have a DVR full of episodes of Doctor Who.<em>


	10. Gone With The Wind

_So I'm actually updating today, like I said I would! Oh, and I apologize for any weirdness in my author's notes last chapter. I wasn't really awake or fully aware of what I was typing. Although knowing my normal weirdness, it probably wasn't any different from any of my other author's notes. And now for the last chapter..._

_Oh, wait! I just remembered that I forgot to put in any disclaimers during this entire story! Well...I don't own NCIS. Unfortunately. Anyway, now onto the actual last chapter._

* * *

><p>Tony watched in horror as Gibbs's car plowed into Ari's. Jimmy was freaking out beside him, yelling that Gibbs's time was up. Tony threw the car in park and it stopped so fast that it nearly gave them whiplash. They scrambled out of the car and rushed to the crashed vehicles. Tony ripped open Gibbs's door and found him limp in the driver's seat with a thin trail of blood trickling down his face.<p>

"Boss," Tony said, shaking him. "Don't do this! Wake up! Come on, Gibbs! Please wake up!"

Jimmy tore his eyes away from Gibbs and walked to Ari's car. When he opened the door, a pile of dust was blown out and carried away on the wind. Jimmy focused his attention on Tony, who had tears streaming down his face. He placed his hand on Tony's shoulder and spoke gently to him.

"He's gone, Tony."

"He died in the place of me," Tony murmured.

"That's right," Jimmy said. "He died to save you and I know he doesn't regret it."

Gibbs's eyes fluttered open and the sight of Tony and Jimmy talking came into view. He moaned and placed his hand on his head, causing the younger men to jump. They helped him into their car. They climbed in as well and for a moment, everything was normal.

Until…

"Did I get him?"

"Yeah, you got him good, Agent Gibbs," Jimmy replied.

"Well, let's listen to some music to celebrate," Tony said, blaring Barbie Girl loudly.

Jimmy gave Gibbs a weird look. "This is music?"

Gibbs shrugged. "He has Van Gogh's ear for it."

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I know...short chapter. All of the final chapters of Charlie's stories are always really short. But the end with Tony blasting Barbie Girl made me laugh. Although now I'm probably gonna have that song stuck in my head.<em>

_Okay, so before I go, I must do some completely shameless plugging for Charlie's new story that I will hopefully start posting soon. It's called When All Is Lost. It basically deals with an evil guy taking over America and the team organizing a sort of resistance. It's pretty cool, and I really like it because it's kinda dystopian, and I love dystopian books. So ya'll should read it if you get a chance._

_And one more thing before I go. I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I'm pretty sure Charlie didn't expect this many reviews. Ya'll are awesome and I hope you continue to read more of Charlie's work._


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